Quebec Lt.-Gov. misspending report transferred to police

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The Quebec government is transferring former lieutenant-governor Lise Thibault's spending report to the provincial police.

Speaking in thelegislature Wednesday morning, Quebec Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Benoît Pelletier announced he has written to Sûreté du Québec director Normand Proulx, asking him to open an investigation as he sees fit.

"I asked the director to proceed as quickly as possible in a manner he finds appropriate given the circumstances," Pelletier said.

Thibault has come under fire after a joint auditors' report found she'd misspent more than $700,000 of public money while she served as Quebec's lieutenant-governor between 1997 and 2007.

The report, written by federal Auditor General Sheila Fraser and her Quebec counterpart, Renaud Lachance, revealed Thibault spent thousands of dollars on events and services not related to her functions as the Queen's representative in Quebec.

She also billed the federal government for food and lodging costs already covered by her provincial budget, and submitted expenses without receipts or details.

In a written statement issued Tuesday, Thibault insisted she did nothing wrong during her decade-long term in office.

Fraser and Lachance recommended Ottawa and Quebec City seek repayment for the misspent funds.

Thibault stepped down from the lieutenant-governor's office earlier this month. She's been replaced by Pierre Duchesne.